Draft appliance for railway cars



Feb, 7, 1950 S- SIMONSON DRAFT APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY CARS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 22, 1945 yard Sinzonson Feb. 7, 1950 s. SIMONSON DRAFT APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY CARS ZSheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 22, 1945 n m% an 7 aw mm 36% Q in wwwwfiwwa mm FR.

Patented Feb. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES DRAFT APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY CARS Sigvard Simonson, .Butler,.Pa., assignor-to 0. C. ,Duryea Corporation, a corporation of Delaware 3 fllainris.

In the conventionalcar, the couplers are connected to the center sills or car underframe through shock absorbing devices called draft gears, each of which acts separately and independently in bulf and draft and .is designed to have a certain capacity with a definite limitof travel, for example, 2%". As the limit of travel is reached, the gear goes solid, and there is no further cushioning of the applied shock.

The principal object of this invention is to make the two draft gears, oneat each end of'the car, act together in cushioning :a bufling shock, thereby giving twice the capacity'with the same gears. Generally speaking, this is accomplished by mounting the draft gears in a floating sill structure movable relative to the car frame and connected to it through thedraft gearsso that a bufling shock applied to one .coupler .iS transmitted through the corresponding draft gear to the floating sill structure and thence simultaneously through the second draft gear to the car frame. .Indraft, the two gears act in unison, except when the rear coupler is idle, when the corresponding draft gear is idle also.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description is read in connection'withathe accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a horizontal section :through the sill arrangement at the left of thecar embodying the present invention;

Fig. 1a is a similar'horizontalsection through the some sill arrangement at the right end of the car, the intermediate portion of the car between these two figures being omitted in order to conform the drawings to the required size;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1a;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken :on theline 3-3 of Fig.2; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse'section taken onthe line 44 of Fig. 2.

The load carrying frame or under-frame of the car includes relatively fixed draft sills Ill, here shown as a pressed 2 seotionspa'ced'apart at each side of the center line of the "carto' provide a lengthwise'passageway for the floating sill structure. These fixed sills 19 appear in plan section in Figs. 1 and la and in cross section in'Figs.

3 and 4. They are connected at the two body bolsters by what will be called bolster center filler castings, generally indicated at B, which include a body center plate ll, side portions :12, and upright portions .1. 3 by which the cas ngs ar framedinto theabody bolsters, generally indicated at M and made fastby. rivets I5.

This frame structure corresponds-generally to that used with what is known as the Duryea cushion gear (Car BuilderdCyclopedia, 1943, pp. 9l8-21).

Adjacent to the endsof the car, the sills ID are slotted and fitted with cheek plates .or key slot reinforcements, generally indicated by C, and comprising plates ll and-thickened ribs 18 which surround the key slotand provide extended area as a bearingfor a key. The :key slot reinforcements are shown welded *to the sills Ill.

The bolster center filler castings B and the bolster structure form recesses, generally-indicated at l9, to receive afloating sill structure generally indicatedat 20 :(Fig. 4). Thisfloating-sill structure is hereeshown-as including two vA. A. R. Z section center sills 2-! having their z-mating top flanges welded together at 22 by which they are formed into an inverted channelwith broad bottom flanges 23 adapted to rest upon and frictionally engage the upper surfaces -.of the side portions 52 of the bolster center filler-castings B.

This floating sill structure corresponds to the floating center sill structureused with the Duryea cushion gear, above referred to, but in this instance the spring gear interposed between the floating sill structure and the car frame has been omitted, although it is realized that some car builders will prefernot to dose.

in this instance, "the two 2 section center sills 21, in addition to having their top flanges welded together at 22, are firmly connected adjacent to each body bolster by a new back stop 25 having flanges '26 inserted through slots in the webs of the 2 sections and welded all around, as indicated at 21. Other intermediate connections will be used or omitted according to particular conditions or individual preference.

.Adjacent to their opposite endsthe sills 2! are providedwith a couplercarrier 28 surmounted by a wear plate 2.9., the coupler carriers having their end portions welded to "the websof the sills 12! adjacent to the bottom.

Extending up on each side of the sills fromthe bottom flanges 2,3, and adjacent to the coupler carrier are plates 80a (Figs. 1 and 1a) weldedto the webs of the sills and extending across between the upper portions of the webs and underneath the top flanges 22 is a cross piece 3! welded in place and braced by lates 32.

casting, and coupler support, and indeed some will prefer to use a casting or castings instead of the fabrication shown and described.

Instead of the single key slots adjacent to each end of the floating sill structure, as used with the Duryea cushion gear, there are here shown two key slots formedin cheek plates or key slot reinforcements generally indicated by D and comprising flat portions 33 lying against the webs of the sills 2| and thickened portions 34 extending into the slots formed in those webs. The key slot reinforcements are welded to the webs of the sills and become in effect integral parts of them.

They provide a key slot 35 aligned with the key slots in the sills l and other key slots 35 toward the end from the key slots 35.

Each coupler carrier 28 receives and supports the shank 31 of a coupler connected to a yoke 38 by conventional coupler key 39, which extends through the familar slots in the coupler shank and yoke and the key slots 36 of the floating sill structure, and is there made fast by a cotter 40.

Within the yoke 38 is a selected form of draft gear, generally indicated at 40, supported with the yoke on the carrier iron 43, but as the details of this gear are a matter of choice they are omitted and reference is made to Car Builders Cyclopedia, 1943, beginning on page 890, for general and special information with respect to the draft gears, it being contemplated that some one of the standard A. A. R. designs would be selected.

Each draft gear will be arranged between the new back stop 25 and a new follower casting 4|, fitted between the floating sills 2i and within the forward portion of the yoke 38. A long special key 42 passes through this follower casting 4| and the four aligned key slots in the sills 2| and the sills III, as best shown in Figs. 1 and la.

It is contemplated that the parts will be so proportioned that when assembled substantially as here illustrated the draft gears will hold the keys 42 at the outer limits of their travel in the key slots in the fixed sills l0, and the inner key slots in the floating sills 2|, while the standard keys 39 will take their usual positions substantially as shown. Suitable clearances will, of course, be provided, but, generally speaking, this relationship is as illustrated.

Operation In operation, assume a buiflng shock delivered to the coupler shank 31 at the left in Fig. 1. The shank will transmit the shock to the new follower casting 4|, thence to the draft gear 40, thence to the rear end of the yoke 38, thence to the new back stop 25, thence to the webs of the sills 2|. Turning from Fig. 1 to Fig. 1a, it will then appear that the webs of the sills 2| will transmit that shock to the new back stop 25 toward the right end of the car, thence to the inner end of the corresponding yoke 38, thence to the right draft gear 40, thence to the new stop 4|, thence to the new key 42, thence to the fixed sills l0 through the key slot reinforcements C. From this, it will appear that the two draft gears 40 act in unison and simultaneously to absorb the bufling shock applied to one of the couplers, thus giving twice the capacity with the same equipment.

Suitable limits to the lengthwise movement of the floating sill structure are provided by what are called over-solid stops 50 (Fig. 2), being plates welded in the top and bottom of the floating sills 2| in position to strike the lower edge of the bolster center filler casting B at 5| and a cover plate 52 at 53 at or about the time that the draft gears go solid. Preferably, the travel thus limited corresponds to the travel of the draft gear, but some car builders will wish to make it a little bit less while others will wish to make it a little bit more.

The plates 52 are welded or otherwise secured to the relatively fixed sills H) or some other part of the car underframe.

Assume a draft shock at the coupler 31 in Fig. 1 toward the left. The coupler shank moves the standard key 39 to the left, taking with it the yoke 38, and the draft gear 40 is compressed against the new follower 4|, which is held against movement to the left relative to the sills in by the long key 42. Hence, the draft gear acts in the normal way that is customarily intended to take the draft shock.

If there is no car coupled at the right in Fig. 1a, the draft gear at that end is idle. But if there is a car coupled to the coupler 31 at the right in Fig. 10., any shock transmitted through the sills Hi to the new key 42 will be transmitted through the new follower 4| to the draft gear 40, thence through the yoke and the standard key 39 to the draw bar 31 at the right in Fig. 1a. Thus, the draft gear 40 at the right in Fig. 112 will act in its normally intended manner.

In addition to'the support for the floating sill structure afforded by the flanges 23 running on the side portions 2 of the body center filler castings B, as shown in Fig. 4, additional supports and guides are provided adjacent to each end of the car, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Each sill I0 is provided with a bracket 54 riveted or welded to it and having a shoulder 55 adapted to receive and cooperate with rail sections 56 welded to the upper corners of the sills 2|.

The arrangement here shown is based upon the selection of a so-called vertical yoke, but a horizontal yoke may be used, and it is thought that the details necessary to provide for that will be readily worked out by engineers without encumbering this disclosure with further illustration.

I claim:

1. In a car, fixed sills spaced apart to provide a passageway extending substantially the full length of the car and having aligned key slots adjacent to their ends, relatively movable floating sills supported by the fixed sills in the passageway between the fixed sills spaced apart to accommodate draft appliances and draft gears and having key slots normally aligned with those before mentioned and other key slots outwardly of those last mentioned, a back stop secured between the floating sills inwardly from the key slots, a yoke between the floating sills against each back stop, a draft gear in said yoke and unsecured to the floating sills, a key extending through the four aligned key slots and the yoke, a draw bar for each yoke, and a. key passing through each draw bar, its yoke, and the outer key slots in the floating sills.

2. In a car, fixed sills spaced apart to provide a passageway extending substantially the full length of the car and having aligned key slots adjacent to their ends, relatively movable floating sills supported by the fixed sills in the passageway between the fixed sills spaced apart to accommodate draft appliances and draft gears and having key slots normally aligned with those before mentioned and other key slots outwardly of those last mentioned, a back stop secured between the floating sills inwardly from the key slots, a yoke between the floating sills against each back stop, a draft gear in said yoke, a key extending through the four aligned key slots and the yoke, a follower between the key and the draft gear, a draw bar for each yoke, and a key passing through each draw bar, its yoke, and the outer key slots in the floating sills.

3. In a car, fixed sills spaced apart to provide a passageway extending substantially the full length of the car and having aligned key slots adjacent to their ends, relatively movable floating sills supported by the fixed sills in the passageway between the fixed sills spaced apart to accommodate draft appliances and draft gears and having key slots normally aligned with those before mentioned and other key slots outwardly of those last mentioned, aback stop secured between the floating sills inwardly from the key slots, a yoke between the floating sills against each back stop, a draft gear in said yoke and unsecured REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,955,858 OConnor Apr. 24, 1934 2,013,429 Barrows Sept. 3, 1935 2,039,268 Barrows Apr. 28, 1936 20 2,039,269 Barrows Apr. 28, 1936 

